Changed
by butterfloofies
Summary: The girls meet their "mother," who takes Blossom away with her. After eight years, Blossom returns to find that many things have changed.
1. Chapter 1

**I think this is what you'd call AU? Anyway, one day I was sitting in class, and this idea randomly came to me. And I decided to write it out to see how it'd go. **

**And uh, I don't know much about the law or the court, so I'm just apologizing for any discrepancies beforehand.**

**P.S. I made them born on November 18, cuz that's when the show first aired. Just for future reference.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PPG**

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><p>It was late June, and the girls had started summer vacation a few days ago, after having completed the third grade. It was a very hot day, but the Professor had taken them out to eat to celebrate.<p>

"Alright girls," called the Professor as he pulled up to their driveway, "hurry in! It's too hot out here." The girls groaned in agreement, complaining about the heat, and flew inside the house. "Much better," the Professor sighed as he entered his air-conditioned house. "Wasn't that a great meal, girls?"

"It was muy delicioso, Professor!" Bubbles chirped.

"Yeah, yeah, we should go again next week," Buttercup agreed.

"It was great! I can't believe we've never been there before," Blossom added, and the girls began discussing their favorite foods at the restaurant. But the Professor was distracted by something near the door– a white envelope addressed to him in a long, thin cursive. It looked familiar. He picked it up, opened it, and began reading:

_Dear John,_

_ It's been a long time. How have you been? I'm well. I've been traveling here and there, working on various research projects, but none of them are anywhere near as interesting as the ones we worked on together. It must be a surprise for you to hear from me so suddenly, especially since we haven't spoken for almost 7 years. But I have important matters to discuss, so I'll be stopping by June 26 at around 7 or so. Let's have dinner and catch up, shall we? _

_Yours truly,_

_Elizabeth_

June 26? That was tomorrow night! The Professor began to panic.

"What's wrong, Professor?" Blossom asked.

"You look worried," Bubbles commented.

"Oh no, it's nothing girls. Nothing to worry about at all," he assured them.

"Are you sure?" Buttercup asked.

"Yes, yes, very sure. But girls, tomorrow night, an old friend is coming over, so I need you girls to stay at Robin's tomorrow, alright?"

"Yay, play date!"

"Is it a lady friend Professor?"

"Uh, yes, but she's an old science partner."

"Right, whatever you say, Professor."

"Now run along girls."

–––

It was 6:50 PM, and the Professor paced anxiously in his living room. He had skipped his usual white lab coat for a dressy suit. The girls were already at Robin's, so the only thing to do was to wait her arrival.

_Ding dong._ The Professor ran to the door, slowly pulling it open.

"Hello, John," Elizabeth's voice greeted him. "It's been a long time." The Professor looked at her. Almost seven years later, she still looked the same. Her long chestnut hair fell to her hips, and her obsidian eyes shone with the same vivacity that'd dominated her character back then. She wore a little black dress, as if she'd known where they'd be going out to dinner.

"Elizabeth!"

"Oh John, you know to call me Lizzy. And how are you?" she asked, hugging him.

"Oh you know, great. And you?"

"As lovely as ever!"

"Well, shall we go?"

"Yes, yes, let's talk over dinner."

–––

"So why _are_ you here, Lizzy?" the Professor asked after they received their meals at The Great Catch, Townsville's best seafood place.

"Well, John, you remember our experiments, right?"

"Of course." He thought back to that one experiment 8 years ago. The two of them had been working on a dangerous experiment to reduce radioactivity of certain elements. The experiment failed and had resulted in a strange solution that they couldn't find a use for, but they'd patented it and called it Chemical X. Years later, however, the Professor had accidentally knocked some Chemical X that he kept as a memoir into his formula when he created his dear Powerpuff Girls.

"The thing is," she hesitated, "we patented Chemical X together."

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, when you created your daughters, you used Chemical X."

"Go on," the Professor said, now slightly wary.

She sighed. "I'm just going to say this straight out, John. I have legal claim to the Powerpuff girls. At least, we share custody. And I want one of my…daughters… to live with me."

"You…what?" he dropped his fork and stared at her.

"I want one of the girls to live with me," she repeated more firmly.

"N-no," he stammered, "no, they can't. I can't just…give them away like some… _thing_. You've never even met them!"

"That's why I'm here," her voice became harder.

"No," he stood up. "I won't accept this."

"John, don't make this harder than it has to be," she growled.

"No," he snapped at her and walked out. Lizzy pulled out some bills, slapped them on the table, and followed him out.

"John, listen to me!" she called after him.

"No! You can't just take my daughters from me! You may have a patent on Chemical X, but you have no claim to my girls!" he yelled at her.

"So, it's come to this, huh?" her voice was stony. "I was hoping we could do this civilly. I'll have you know, that I have court documents stating those girls are as much in my custody as yours. Now, we're going to go to your house, and you're going to introduce me to them as their…mother."

–––

"Okay girls, I have a surprise for you," the Professor told them as he picked them up from Robin's house.

"Ooooh, what is it Professor?" Bubbles asked.

"Is it our own pet T-rex?" Buttercup guessed.

"Or Shakespeare's full collection of plays?" Blossom hoped.

"No, no! It's a bunch of pretty dresses," said Bubbles.

"No, unfortunately, it's not," he sighed.

"Then what is it?" Buttercup asked skeptically.

"Well, girls, I'd like you to meet…your mother!" the Professor frowned, as the girls gaped at him. They stared at Lizzy, who smiled warmly at them.

"Hello, girls. I'm Lizzy Martin," she introduced herself, but the girls timidly hid behind their father.

"B-but, we don't even know you," Blossom finally spoke.

"Let me explain. I'm only your mother in a sense. You see, darlings, I helped your daddy create Chemical X, so in a way, you're my daughters too," she laughed softly. "I know we've never spent any time together, but I love you all so much already."

"Hmph," scoffed Buttercup. "We don't need a mom."

"Well, there's more," the Professor admitted reluctantly.

"More surprises?" Bubbles sighed.

"Well, girls, I'm bringing one of you to live with me!" Lizzy smiled, but the girls drew back and stared at her wide-eyed.

"Lizzy, please, they're not ready," the Professor pleaded. Her gaze turned cold, and she threw him a glance, ordering him to back off. Then she donned her sweet façade again, and approached the girls.

"Girls, I have a legal custody over you. And if I don't get that custody, I can take it to the court, and then everything will just get nasty," she spoke sweetly, juxtaposing her threatening words. Lizzy eyed each of the girls in turn, and her gaze finally rested on Blossom, who was now glaring at her. "Such beautiful red hair, such confidence, such vivacity. I can see myself in you, darling." Lizzy took Blossom's hands in her own, but the girl drew back into her sisters' arms. "Come live with me. I have a nice house in England, and you can learn to paint and dance, and we can travel and just enjoy ourselves. What do you say?" she gently forced Blossom to meet her eyes. "Or does the court sound better? Hmm?"

"Elizabeth!" the Professor interjected, pulling the woman away from his daughter. "Enough of that!"

"No, Professor," Blossom's soft voice spoke, "she's right." Her eyes had clouded over, grown darker. She knew what she had to do. Having lightly studied the law in her free time, Blossom understood this was a case they couldn't win. She would go with Lizzy, but she couldn't be forced to stay with her forever. Blossom was entitled to visits back home, and after she was 18, she'd move out anyway. "I'll go."

"What?" Bubbles and Buttercup shrieked.

"Smart girl. That's one person in this family who realizes she can't win this. But I'll tell you what. After one year, if you still want to come back, I'll let you," LIzzy offered.

"Blossom! You can't go!" Bubbles begged her sister.

"Bubbles, I know it's hard to understand. But I'll be back in a year," Blossom tried to console her sister.

"A year's too long, Blossom!" Bubbles sobbed, pulling her sister into a tight hug. Buttercup tried not to cry, but as she joined, the group hug, she too burst into tears.

"You're not leaving, Blossom. You just can't! Who's gonna nag me to finish my homework?" Buttercup cried.

"Maybe you'll learn to be responsible by the time I get back," Blossom smiled sadly.

"Blossom, who's gonna do my hair for me every morning?" Bubbles bawled.

"I'll show you how to before I leave," Blossom tried to console her sister. The girls were consumed by their crying, and stood hugging each other as tears streamed down their faces. The professor stood off to the side, mourning wordlessly. That Blossom would do this broke his heart. When had his little girl grown up? He still remembered when the day they were born like yesterday. He couldn't even bear to call them his creations; they were so much more– they were his daughters.

It was his job as their father to protect them– and he'd failed. He'd lost his precious Blossom to the hands of this conniving woman. A woman he'd trusted enough to work with for three years. But she'd come back and snatched his daughter from him. He had failed.

"Oh John, it's not that bad," she rolled her eyes at him, only to receive a piercing glare that only a mourning father could give. "I'm not taking her as prisoner of war. You can write letters and call and all those familial things you do."

The Professor turned his back on her and joined his daughters' group hug. "Blossom, honey," he whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"Professor," she gave him a peck on the cheek, "don't be. I'll be back after a year. Promise."

"We'll be waiting," he kissed her forehead, as a single tear slid down his cheek.

"Okay, Blossom, I'll come back in two days to pick you up, so get your packing done, dear," Lizzy reminded her. "Well, toodles for now. See you soon." She leaned down and gave Blossom a kiss, as Blossom stiffened at her touch.

Lizzy strolled out the door, and the Utonium family glared after her.

–––

_One year later…_

A figure twirled around the room, leaping and pirouetting, her hair creating a trail of bright red-orange. She gracefully slowed, turned to face her two spectators, and curtsied.

"How you've improved!" a well-dressed, importantly looking woman walked up to her and pulled her into a hug. "Blossom, I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you, Mama!" the girl beamed at the woman.

The well-dressed woman turned to another lady who'd been sitting in the room, and thanked her, "Ms. Poole, you are truly a remarkable teacher. I cannot believe Blossom has only been under your guidance for nine months!"

"Oh no, Ms. Martin, you cannot give me such credit. Your daughter possesses such talent! And she so young, too! When she came to me, I could hardly believe she was only a beginner! Blossom, dear, I too am so proud of you," Ms. Poole praised her best student.

"Oh, Mama!" the little girl exclaimed, "I must show you my new painting too!" She scurried off to another room, and returned holding a large canvas. Soft, slow brush strokes roamed across the canvas and soothing, earthy colors told the story of a young couple wandering through a lazy meadow. The painting could have easily been mistaken for one by an older, more experienced artist.

"Oh, my!" Ms. Martin gasped. "Blossom, this is beautiful! We'll hang it up right here." She walked over to the fireplace and held the painting up, nodding her head in satisfaction. Blossom, meanwhile, was delighted that her painting was to be the centerpiece of the room.

After Ms. Poole had left, Blossom and her mother were sitting in their living room, drinking their afternoon tea. "Blossom, darling, I can't say how proud I am of you," Ms. Martin smiled at her.

"Oh Mama," Blossom leaned over to give her mother a hug. "I'm so glad you let me learn to paint and dance."

"Blossom," Ms. Martin gently brushed aside her daughter's bangs, "you know I would let you learn anything you'd like." She took a sip of her tea. "Now," her voice became a little more serious, "have you thought about it?"

Blossom bit her lip and sighed. "Yes, I have. And…I-I don't want to go back. It would mean missing my lessons for so long, and Emily offered to invite me to her country home for a week, and I've already promised Sandra I'd go with her to France in a month. A-and it's only been a year, and I know I said I'd go back, b-but they won't miss me too much if I don't go this year," she justified.

"Anything you like, sweetie," her mother chuckled. "I'll go tell them right now not to expect you this summer." And maybe not the next, either, Blossom thought guiltily to herself.

–––

_Seven more years later…_

That same red-haired girl sat down in her living room. She picked up a stray book on the coffee table, Jane Austen's _Pride and Prejudice, _opened to a random page, and began reading. She had grown up well into a beautiful young woman. Her chest had filled out, and her simple white blouse revealed a little cleavage. Her legs, long and lean from dancing everyday, were elegantly crossed. She wore a small red bow in her hair, having switched out the large one a long time ago.

"Blossom!" a young man her age walked toward her.

"Henry!" she smiled, hugged him, and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"And how are you, love?"

"Terribly unhappy," she pouted.

"Oh it's not too bad. We can still talk. And if it makes you feel any better, I'll think of you everyday," he comforted her.

"How could she do this? And for the rest of the school year too!"

"Well, she had no choice– you haven't visited them for eight years. And he is still your father, and they're still your sisters, you know. And, of course, court orders."

"You'll call me right?"

"Of course. Every day," he reassured her before pulling her into a tight embrace. "So when are you leaving?"

"In an hour. Jeremy's taking me to the airport."

"Would like me to accompany you?"

"That would make me so much happier!"

"Well that's what I'm here for."

"You're the best, Henry."

"Only for you, love."

–––

Eight years ago, Blossom would have given anything to never leave Townsville. And yet, she shamefully admitted to herself, now she would have given anything to be back in England. Oh, the ironies of time. Blossom looked through the car window and sighed. Townsville looked almost the same, yet different– it seemed darker. The sun was shining brightly, but there were less happy-going townspeople, and everyone scurried along the streets as if they were in a hurry. Not many stopped to have a chat with or greet a friend. The downtown area had a bit more life to it, but it still wasn't as vibrant as she remembered it. As the car headed to the suburbs, some of the passing buildings looked old and worn, filled with cracks and craters that'd never been filled in. Soon these buildings faded into little houses, and Blossom, who started to recognize some of these homes, swallowed nervously. She felt guilty. It had been an awfully long time since she'd seen them. After a couple years, they sat in the back of her memory while painting, dancing, school, her friends, Henry, and Mama took the center. Occasionally she thought about them, wondering if she should write, but there'd just never been time to. She sighed and wondered what this reunion would be like.

The driver pulled up to the familiar white house. It still had the same three windows that overlooked the street from her old bedroom, but the house looked older and worn– it was in need of a paint job, the windows had lost their gleam, and the lawn had little patches of weeds here and there. Blossom sighed again, and smoothed out her dress. She'd picked a light pink sundress, her favorite one actually, for this occasion. Taking hold of her pink suitcase, she took a deep breath and marched to the front door.

It opened before she had a chance to ring the doorbell, and she found herself face to face with a young blonde. She wore a light blue tank top and frayed white shorts, which, Blossom noted, was not very classy. "Blossom!" the girl gasped.

"Hi…Bubbles," Blossom mumbled shyly.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" were the only words Bubbles could muster, and suddenly she pulled an unexpecting Blossom into a tight hug. Bubbles released her sister, turned around, and called out, "Buttercup! Come here! And get the Professor too! Hurry!" The bubbly girl returned her attention to Blossom, "Come in Blossom! Here, let me take your suitcase." Bubbles grabbed the suitcase, as she ushered her sister into the house. "Are you hungry? Lemme go get you something to eat," Bubbles said before her sister could even respond.

Blossom looked around her. Memories flooded to her; all the times she'd spent here, all fun they'd had, all the games and talks and laughing. She spotted a dusty photo frame hanging on the wall; she walked over and wiped away some of the dust. It was an old photo, taken when the girls were only in kindergarten: they were laughing and circling around the Professor as he smiled up at them. On a little table in the entryway sat three framed pictures. They were messy drawings she and her sisters had done as children. She recognized the center one as hers: a drawing of a dancing girl in a pink tutu. On the right was Buttercup's– a picture of a roaring, big green monster. To the left sat Bubble's picture of a forest full of happy animals. Blossom couldn't help but smile.

Upon hearing footsteps, Blossom turned around and found her other sister standing at the bottom of the stairs. Her cropped black hair was messy, which matched her sloppy dark green T-shirt and sweats. "Blossom," she said.

"Hi, Buttercup," Blossom replied. They hugged awkwardly, and then neither knew what to say. Fortunately, Bubbles entered with plate of sandwiches.

"Oh, Blossom, I've missed you so much! , eat up," she insisted. Blossom took one– it was good, but not as good as the ones her cook made. "Buttercup, isn't this great? All three of here, after so long," Bubbles sighed.

"Yeah, after so long," Buttercup echoed.

"So Blossom, how've you been? Is Europe fun? You have to tell me everything!" Bubbles pulled her sister to the couch and sat down.

"Um, I'm well. And Europe's fun. Our house is nice. And everything's been great," Blossom answered in short cropped speech.

"Blossom!" a man's voice called. She whirled around and saw the Professor standing across the room. Eight years had done a lot to him. His hair had tufts of gray, and wrinkles were etched into his skin. He looked weary and haggard, and the familiar white lab coat was now frayed and stained.

"Professor," Blossom stood up.

He walked dazedly to her and hugged her for a long time. When he finally let go, he smiled at her and said, "Just call me Dad, Blossom." Even his voice sounded tired.

"Okay…Dad," Blossom hesitated.

"Oh, Blossom," he sighed, "you've grown so much. When I last saw you, you were only this tall." He gestured to under his hip and smiled sadly. "It's been so long. And now, that little girl's grown into a beautiful young lady." Blossom could see tears forming at the corners of his eyes, and without thinking, she hugged him. Bubbles walked over silently and joined them, and before long, Buttercup was hugging them too.

"You know," Bubbles said, her voice shaky, "it's like when you left. We're all in a big group hug again."

"I've really missed you guys," Blossom managed to choke out before succumbing to her tears.

"Yeah, we've missed you too," Buttercup whispered, her voice cracking a bit, and a comfortable silence settled over them.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you liked it! :D <strong>

**Feedback would be super appreciated. Comments, questions, suggestions, insults– anything you like.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Love you, Henry, bye," Blossom smiled to herself as she hung up the phone. It'd been a week since she'd arrived, and it'd be a week before school started. She looked around her room. It wasn't the same old one she'd lived in as a child. As the girls grew up, a single room became two small to house two sisters with such different tastes. Buttercup couldn't stand Bubbles' stuffed animals everywhere and Bubbles couldn't stand Buttercup's loud music. So Buttercup moved into another room, and Bubbles stayed in their old one. Blossom was given the guest room in the house. It was spacious– there was a king sized bed, a desk, a bookshelf, and loveseat and coffee table. The room was attached to a walk-in closet and personal bathroom. Quite comfortable, though it couldn't be compared to her room in England. She had already unpacked her clothes and books, set pictures of Mama and Henry by her nightstand, and taken out her pink laptop.

Blossom walked over to her laptop to check her email. She found one from her mother, opened it, and began reading.

"_Blossom, it's been one week so far– how are you doing? I miss you terribly, sweetie, especially because I know your accommodations there cannot be nearly as comfortable as the ones I wanted to provide you. But orders were that you lived with your father and sisters. Oh, honey, it must be hard. Your sisters were not raised in such a high society as you were, and they were not guided by the fantastic Ms. Poole in their studies, so you may find their company less preferable to that of your friends here. But do remember, that they are your family and that they love you. But I know you'll be a complete dear to them. Oh Blossom, the moment you graduate from junior year, I'll send for you to come back immediately. I miss you terribly– you must write back to me soon. Love, Mama"_

Blossom sighed and began to type: _Mama, it's been alright here so far. My room here is quite comfortable and homely. It's nice seeing Dad, Bubbles, and Buttercup again, but sometimes the atmosphere is a bit awkward between us. I miss your and Henry's company especially, and I can't wait to see you again. Love, Blossom._

She read over the email again and pressed send, just before she heard a knock on the door. "Come in," Blossom called. The door opened, and Bubbles entered with a tray of food. Of the three people who lived here, Blossom found comfort in Bubbles, who was continuously making efforts to reestablish their sisterhood. Buttercup tended to keep to herself, and the Professor spent most of his time in his lab. In his company, most of the conversations involved reminiscing about old times. Not that Blossom minded reminiscing, but there was only so much you could reminisce about.

"Hey! Buttercup's out playing basketball at Julie's place, and Dad's busy in his lab, so I thought you and I could just eat together," she explained as she handed Blossom a tray of food. Today it was Alfredo pasta, and as she knew Bubbles was a great cook, Blossom couldn't wait to try it.

"Bubbles, I've been meaning to ask you, can you fill me in on everything that's happened since I left? It might be just me, but things seem slightly different," Blossom asked.

"Umm," Bubbles bit her lip, hesitant.

"What?" Blossom eyed her sister suspiciously.

"I was hoping we wouldn't get to that topic. Because, well, a lot _has_ changed, and a lot of those changes aren't– well it's just– you won't be happy."

"Why wouldn't I be happy?"

Bubbles sighed, putting down her fork. She stared hard at the floor in silent thought, and finally turned back to Blossom to answer the question. "Did you notice that for the week you were here, we didn't get any calls from the old hotline?"

"Yes, actually. Speaking of which, where _is_ the hotline?"

"Well, I guess you could say…the Powerpuff Girls were…relieved of their duties."

"What? Why? And how is the city still monster-free?"

"A couple years after you left, the mayor disappeared, and through an 'election,' which I'm sure was rigged, this man named Mr. Jones became mayor."

"Mayor's…gone? What about Miss Bellum?"

"Gone too. No one knows where they went. I tried looking for them, but I never found them. Then I did a little investigation on Mr. Jones and found that he's actually an employee of this real estate firm, Martinelly Real Estate. But other than that, I don't have any evidence of crime or anything, so we can't just kick Mr. Jones out of office. And he's not really doing anything bad– the city's better actually, in a way. He's installed a state-of-the-art defense system around Townsville, and it's actually been really successful. I don't think we've seen a monster in years. Once a big fish thingy got in, but the back-up defense shot it down right away. Minimal damage."

Blossom didn't know what to say, but regardless, Bubbles was right. If there was no evidence of foul play, then Mr. Jones was staying. "You did a good job, Bubbles," Blossom praised her sister.

"Thanks," Bubbles smiled. "I learned from the best." But her smile faded into a frown, and she continued, "But it gets worse. Remember the Rowdyruff Boys?"

"Please don't say what I think you're going to say."

"Yeah, they came back half a year ago. Under direct order of Mr. Jones, or so I've heard."

"What?"

"He ordered them back? Isn't that incriminating evidence right there? The Boys are bad guys."

"Well they came back 'reformed as normal high-school going citizens,' or at least that's what you'll see in the tabloids. And they haven't done anything bad. Although they're just downright annoying at school, well for the quarter we saw them at school, that is."

"We have to see them at school? Isn't there any evidence against them? At all?"

"No 'cause they haven't done anything illegal."

"I'm sorry, Bubbles," Blossom looked away, "that I wasn't here to help."

"You had your life in England. You couldn't help it," Bubbles smiled understandingly. But I could've, Blossom thought to herself. She almost wanted to beat herself up for not being there when her sisters needed her. They were _her sisters _and _her dad_! They'd taken care of her for so long! And she hadn't even been able to come back _one time_ in the past eight years? Blossom thought about those years she'd stayed in England. What excuse had she given herself to keep her from coming back? What stupid, selfish excuse? Blossom's fury was showing in her expression, and Bubbles reached out and touched Blossom's hand, saying, "Blossom, I understand. And I want you to know, that I forgive you."

"Thanks, Bubbles," Blossom whispered as she hugged her sister.

"Blossom?"

"Yeah, Bubbles?"

"I'm glad you're back."

"And I'm glad to be back." And she meant it from the bottom of her heart.

–––

_Ding dong_. Blossom pulled open the door, and black-haired girl jumped her. Blossom realized that she was actually receiving a hug, and suddenly exclaimed, "Robin?"

"Blossom! I can't believe you're back!" Robin released Blossom and beamed at her. Blossom smiled back at her old friend, who'd kept her trademark long, black hair. "Bubbles told me yesterday, and I just to come see you!"

"I really missed you, Robin!"

"I really missed you too! You have to tell me what England's like and everything you did there."

The girls sat down and began catching up, soon joined by Bubbles. Robin stayed for dinner and they spent the night chatting away.

–––

It was the night before the first day of school, and Bubbles had gone out to do some last minute shopping and Buttercup was passing the night away playing her guitar. So it was only Blossom and the Professor sitting in the living room. She was flipping through pages of _Wuthering Heights_ and he was browsing the _Townsville Times_.

"Um, Dad," Blossom suddenly said.

"Yes, dear?" he replied absentmindedly.

"Do you, um, do you resent me? I mean, not you know, resent, but what I mean to say, is well, I'm sorry I didn't come back," Blossom blurted out. Her conversation with Bubbles had got her thinking, and she'd decided that it would be best to apologize to her dad.

"Oh, don't be. I've lived quite long now, Blossom and I've accomplished many things, but not much makes me happier than seeing you living with us again, even if it's only for a little while."

"Thanks." She whispered, smiling shyly.

"Now, are you ready for school tomorrow?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she said unsurely.

–––

"Blossom I don't know what to wear!" Bubbles burst into her sister's room at 6:45 in the morning, holding a baby blue scoop neck tee and a fancier blouse with a little lacey design on the back. "Should I go casual or a bit more dressy? If I go casual, people will think I'm a slob, but if I go dressy everyone'll think I try too hard! Blossom, help me!"

"Bubbles, calm down," Blossom said as she picked out a soft pink V-neck blouse (not too low though) tucked into a white floral skirt, topped off with a brown woven belt and a thin white jacket. She grinned, satisfied at her outfit, and turned to her sister. "Why don't you pair the fancier one with those frayed jean shorts you have? It'll be a nice balance."

"Oh my God! Why didn't I think of that?" Bubbles squealed, ran to Blossom to give her a quick hug, and scurried out of the room. Blossom smiled to herself, picked out a clip with a small red bow on it, pinned her hair back, and was ready to go.

–––

"What's your schedule? What's your schedule?" Bubbles asked Blossom as the three were flying to Townsville High in the morning.

"Well, it said I have AP English first, AP European History, which'll be a breeze, then AP Studio Art, AP Calculus, and then AP Spanish, and lastly Dance Company."

"Oh my God! We have first and second together! I'm so excited!" In her joy, she did a little mid-flight twirl. "But I didn't know you spoke Spanish! Podemos hablar en español!"

Blossom laughed, and replied, "Yes, now we can. My teacher in London taught me French, and I was in the middle of learning Spanish. Are you taking a language, Bubbles?"

"No, actually, because I've learned all the languages they offer here. I was thinking about just studying a bit on my own and taking the AP tests at the end of the year. I'm planning on taking Chinese and German this year, since I already finished French, Spanish, and Japanese last year."

"Wow Bubbles, you've been working on your language skills. So what's your schedule?"

"Well third is Advanced Painting and Drawing, then it's Pre-Calculus, then I have Choir, and lastly Cheer."

"So what about you, Buttercup?" Blossom turned to ask her other sister, but Buttercup, whose face was hidden in a dark green hoodie (how did she see where she was flying with that on?) was rocking to her own music, and her earphones blocked out Blossom's question.

"Oh, she always listens to her music when we're flying in the morning," Bubbles said. "And I always tell her that her iPod's gonna fall out."

Buttercup, however, noticed Blossom had turned toward her and had pulled out her earphones. "What did you say?"

"Oh I was just asking what classes you had," Blossom said.

"Uh, English, Euro, Chem, Pre-Cal, French, and cross country for now but then basketball and swimming later."

"Wow three sports– that's impressive," Blossom began, but when Buttercup stuffed her earphones back in, mumbled, "Nevermind, then."

The three girls landed at the front of the school, and Buttercup instantly ran off to join some girls who apparently were on her sports team. Townsville High had three stories of a nice lavender blue color. The front of the school had a perfectly mowed lawn with a few leafy, shady trees here and there. A little fountain with a statue of a blue jay perched on a tree branch, which Blossom assumed was the school mascot, stood in front of the building. In the back was a large courtyard where students could opt to have lunch outside instead of in the cafeteria. It had a nice lawn covered with trees and a few lunch tables on the side. Also in the back were the sports fields, which from what Blossom saw while flying, were quite big, as there were separate fields for baseball, soccer, basketball, and track, and a swimming pool and gym a little ways off. It still couldn't compare to her school in London, but Blossom was still impressed. And amazed that she'd never seen it before.

"I wonder who'll be in our classes this year," Bubbles wondered to herself merrily. "C'mon, Blossom I'll show you around." Bubbles took her sister's hand and led her around the school. The inside of the school was very clean and new-looking, with large blue lockers for every student. There were posters advertising clubs and sports and pictures of school events hanging on the walls. Blossom took a peek into a classroom as they walked and saw very nice, large, (again) new-looking desks for all the students and a larger one for the teacher. Each classroom was provided with a computer, projector, and smartboard. "Cafeteria's over there, bathroom's here, but oh, don't use these– they're nasty. Use the ones on the second floor. I don't know why, but those're always in better condition. Oh here we are, 205, AP English with Mrs. Raitt. I heard she's generally really nice, but sometimes she gets all mad and just picks on a student she hates or something."

"Hey Bubbles, how old is this school? I've never seen it before and all everything here looks new," Blossom commented.

"Oh, well, um, Mr. Jones had it built a year after he came here," Bubbles explained, and then continued with her tour. Soon, however, the bell rang, lockers slammed, and students flooded into the halls and then their classes. As students walked in, Bubbles introduced her friends to Blossom, and class began. Two periods later found Blossom standing near her assigned locker, which was thankfully right next to Bubbles' and Buttercup's.

"I'm gonna go buy some food, so I'll see you guys later," Buttercup said and walked off.

Blossom turned to Bubbles, "I'm glad we have our first two periods together. I have to admit, I'd be a bit nervous otherwise." Blossom smiled sheepishly.

"Don't worry. Everything'll be fine," Bubbles smiled encouragingly, and when the bell rang, wished her luck.

Blossom walked into her AP Studio Art class and found a seat near the front. "Hello class and welcome to AP Studio Art. My name is Ms. Hanne," she introduced herself, "and you are all here because I believe, or whoever recommended you believes, that you have some talent in art. Do you really? I don't know. But we'll see as you draw. Now, the AP Studio Art test at the end of the year requires you to submit 12 drawings or paintings, and because you signed up for this class, I expect you to submit those 12. We will be working on some of those in class, and others you will be expected to complete on your own time. Now these drawings should be based on a unifying theme, something that you can relate to and paint or draw with _passion_ and wow the graders with. So sleep on it, and I'll give you more details on the AP test later." A theme? Blossom half-listened to Ms. Hanne and half-thought about what theme she'd like to use. Love? No, too unoriginal. Hope? Too unoriginal. Darkness? Her life wasn't exactly gloomy and sad. Destruction of the world through industrialization? No, too pessimistic. Technology? Not her style. Family? She did love her family, but a lot had changed between them. That was it!

_Change_.

–––

As Blossom opened the door to her AP Calculus class, someone came up from behind, rudely pushed her aside, and entered. "Hey!" Blossom shouted. She wasn't about to take crap from anyone. "Apologize."

"For what?" the boy turned around and glared at her. His glowing red eyes matched his long, bright red hair and baseball cap. Red eyes? Red hair? Red baseball cap?

"Brick," Blossom whispered to herself, suddenly realizing who he was. Oh great, he was in this class?

"What?" he snapped.

Blossom focused her attention to the situation at hand. "Apologize for pushing me," she repeated.

"It's your own fault you were in the way." He turned around and sat down.

How unbelievably rude! Eight years later and he couldn't learn some manners?

"Wait. How are you even in AP Calculus? Last time I checked you couldn't even spell 'dumb,'" she smirked as she took a seat a few desks away from him. He glared at her and chose not to reply.

Blossom sat through the lecture, taking notes for the sake of taking notes. The lecture today was basic– way below her. She secretly hoped the class would get more challenging.

After the bell rang, as Blossom walked out, she took the chance to push a certain boy aside and grinned to herself as she suavely walked to her locker to meet Bubbles.

* * *

><p><strong>Introducing…Brick of the RowdyRuff Boys! I'll bring out all the boys in the next chapter, for all the RRB fans out there (including me)<strong>

**And I picked blue jays because I thought Townsville was kind of a happy, chirpy city. :| feedback on that please?**


	3. Chapter 3

"This is our lunch table, same one as last year," Bubbles guided Blossom to a table under a cool, shady tree in the courtyard.

"This is the best table here," Blossom observed.

"Special perks of being a cheerleader," Bubbles grinned. "But they're pretty flexible about who they let sit here. As long as the person's cool, cute, and a friend of someone on the squad. Oh, hey Robin!" Bubbles waved to their old friend, and the two sisters took their seats next to her. "Blossom, this is Julie, she was on basketball last year, but she switched to cheer. This is Anna, and this is Sammy. Girls, this is Blossom, my sister. She came back from England." Blossom received numerous compliments on her clothes and hair and many questions about England, and found that the girls were very easy to talk to.

After a few minutes, she turned to Bubbles, "Hey, where's Buttercup?"

"Usually she sits with the basketball team or whatever sport she's in, but sometimes she comes over. I guess she's with her team today. Oh shoot! Here _she_ comes." Bubbles glanced to her right, and Blossom followed her eyes. A pompous orange-haired girl was strutting toward them, flocked by two– whores was the best way to describe them. The orange-haired girl was wearing an (overly) tight neon yellow minidress, which Blossom actually recognized as a Tabitha St. Germain original– she'd actually met the designer herself once at some charity gala. But anyway, that dress was not flattering on her skin tone, and the orange hair wasn't helping either.

"Who's the new kid?" the girl asked snobbishly.

"Princess, this is Blossom, my sister. You remember her, right?" Disgust was etched into every single one of Bubbles' words– such disgust that Blossom never believed Bubbles capable of expressing.

This was Princess? Blossom hadn't recognized her. She'd finally found out what a straightener was used for, huh?

"Oh," Princess eyed Blossom warily, "well, ew then. Ashley, Hannah, we're going. I can't sit here; there's a complete lack of sun, and this skin doesn't tan itself." With that, the girls strutted off. The moment they left, the table burst into conversation, discussing their mutual hate for Princess.

"She's so mean!"

"She thinks she's so hot and popular, but it's only 'cause her dad donates money to this school."

"Yeah if not, Bubbles would be cheer captain."

"Seriously, Bubbles, you should be captain."

"You're so much better than her anyway."

"And prettier."

"Thanks girls, that means a lot to me, but we know that won't happen," Bubbles responded.

"Why not?" Blossom inquired.

"Well, Princess's dad does donate a ton to this school. I mean, that fountain out front? His money. So, she's kinda the head bitch at this school. And if little Princess wants to be head cheerleader, then little Princess will be head cheerleader," Bubbles mocked in a snobby voice.

"Oh! You know what I heard?" Anna suddenly said.

"What?"

"I heard she and Brick Jojo are going out."

"What? No way!"

"Yeah though there're rumors it's one-sided. And it's not hard to tell which side."

"But he's so hot."

"Wait," Blossom suddenly interrupted. "I'm sorry, but did you say he was 'hot?'"

"Yeah, c'mon. That face, that hair, those abs, that body. Those eyes!" Sammy was practically drooling.

"Okay well, he's a little tiny bit good looking," Blossom grudgingly admitted, "but he's such a- such a…douche!"

"Maybe, but that's personality. Looks, Blossom, are a completely different thing. And that boy has looks covered from head to toe," Sammy asserted. The girls burst into giggles at her infatuation with Brick.

"Speaking of which, if he's here, his brothers should be too, shouldn't they?" Blossom wondered.

"They are. They're not hard to find. Butch is usually in the sports fields and you can find Boomer playing guitar somewhere. Or you can always just look for a group of slutty girls, and you'll find the boys in the middle," Robin explained, only somewhat jokingly.

"Anyways," Bubbles directed the conversation to a new topic, "Blossom, you should come to the cheerleading field after school. Usually, practice goes a bit after sixth, so you should hang around there with us for a while." The other girls voiced their encouragement, and Blossom accepted the offer.

–––

In fifth period Spanish, Blossom found herself faced with not one, but two, Rowdyruff Boys, and no Bubbles or Buttercup to back her up. She saw Brick sitting in a seat in front of whom she presumed was Butch. He had his hair lightly spiked up and was making out with a busty blonde in his lap. Someone must've created some intelligence serum or something because there was no way these two could get into AP classes.

Blossom took a seat as far from the boys as possible, and luckily for her, the moment she sat down, Robin walked in. Blossom waved frantically to Robin, gesturing for her friend to sit next to her. "I am so glad to see you, Robin! If I had to go through _that_–" she pointed at Butch and Brick "by myself, I think I would've exploded."

Robin laughed, and replied, "I'm glad I'm not in here myself either. And at least we have one class together!" Class started, and the teacher, Mr. Martinez, gave them details about the AP class and test and let them have a little free time at the end of class.

Blossom and Robin started discussing their classes so far, until they were interrupted by a wolf whistle. Blossom looked up to find Butch leaning one arm on her desk, staring down at her.

"That's some nice cleavage you got there," he grinned, focusing his attention on Blossom's chest. She made a disgusted face and zipped her jacket all the way up. "Aww c'mon, beautiful, don't you wanna show some of that chest?"

"Blossom, do you want to go to the bathroom?" Robin asked.

Grateful for the excuse, Blossom flashed Robin a quick smile, and hastily replied, "Yes, very much." They were about to get up and leave, when Butch stopped them.

"Did you just say 'Blossom?' Like the Powerpuff girls? Wow, you got way hot," he looked her up and down, receiving another cold glare from Blossom, but continued, "Actually, what I wanted to say was tell your sister to meet me at the basketball court tomorrow after school, and she's fucking going down."

"Bubbles?" Blossom asked, slightly alarmed.

"No, the mean, bitchy one, Buttercup. I need to continue my winning streak."

"From what I remember, you lost the last match," Brick reminded him from across the room.

"Shut up, Brick! That was three months ago! No one remembers anyway," Butch pouted. Blossom looked up at the teacher, wondering if he would let her leave early, but he seemed completely oblivious to the commotion. She looked back at Butch, who was _still_ leaning against her desk.

"Do you need something or are you just going to stand there like a dumbass?" Blossom demanded.

He suddenly grinned, "Well, now that you mention it, I need you and your body, baby." Blossom didn't even bother glaring this time, and swiftly eyebeamed his hand.

He snatched it back, massaging where she hit, and complained, "Ouch. That really hurt! But I like feisty." Blossom was about to aim one right for his face, but the bell rang and she grabbed Robin's hand and rushed out of the class.

Blossom heard Robin giggling behind her, wheeled around on her friend, and asked, "What's so funny?"

"I just think it was funny how you dealt with that," Robin answered innocently.

"Oh, shut up. But what's going on with him and Buttercup?"

"Oooh, that. Well when Butch transferred in last year, he joined the basketball team, which Buttercup happened to be part of too. Sometimes the boys' and girls' teams share the gym, so when he started bragging, Buttercup challenged him to match, and she outright won. But then he wanted a rematch, and he won that one. And on it went, and they started doing competitions in… let's see, swimming, soccer, and then it was running, and after that, football, and once I think there was a tennis match."

"Wow, that's some… intense rivalry."

"Yeah, you should've seen the tennis courts after that match. I was hoping it'd cool a bit over the summer, but I guess that hasn't happened. She didn't join cross country this quarter, did she?"

"She did, why?"

"Because that's what Butch joined, and those two being in the same sport just fuels the fire. Maybe I should join the betting ring this year," Robin mused.

"Robin!"

"What? I'll put my money on Buttercup if that makes you any happier," Robin laughed. "Well, I need to get to cheer practice. I'll see you Blossom." She ran off to the field, and Blossom made her way to the dance studio.

The first day of dance was really just a meet and greet. They received an assignment to choreograph a simple dance to be performed in about a week's time to allow the instructor to judge their abilities. This assignment had come at a perfect time– Blossom had been working on a number that she was dying to perform. She would have shown it to Bubbles, but she wanted some constructive criticism, and Bubbles didn't like to criticize.

When school finally ended, Blossom walked out to the back of the school to search for Bubbles. She spotted the group of cheerleaders in the distance in pyramid formation. The girl on top began to wobble and the pyramid came crashing down, and Blossom flew over to see if any of her new friends had gotten hurt.

"Are you all okay? That looked like it hurt," Blossom remarked as she walked up to them.

"Blossom, you're here!" Bubbles squealed, jumping up to give Blossom a hug.

"Anna, that was all your fault!" someone shouted. Blossom looked over to see Princess pointing an accusing finger at Anna.

"How was that my fault?" Anna scoffed.

"If you'd just kept your balance, we wouldn't have fallen," Princess yelled.

"Well if you lost a few pounds, maybe I could've kept my balance," Anna shot back. At her words, heads turned and gasps were heard. The rest of the cheerleaders stared wide-eyed at Anna– those were forbidden words. Princess, meanwhile, was starting to blush furiously.

"You little bitch!" Princess shrieked. "How dare you? You're officially off the team!"

"You can't kick me off the team! You don't have enough people without me!"

"We'll just hold tryouts then! Don't think for a moment that you're not replaceable."

"Stop it!" Bubbles intervened. "Princess, Anna _isn't_ replaceable. Her flips are gold, you know that. And Anna, I know you're mad, but weight's off-limits."

Before Bubbles could continue her reprimands, Brick walked up to the group, put his arm around Princess, and asked, "Is there anything wrong babe?"

"Oh Brickie!" she wailed, burying her face in his chest. "Anna made me fall, and then she actually tried to say that it wasn't her fault! And then she called me–she called me f–fat!" Here she burst into sobs. "And then Bubbles started scolding me as if _she_ was the captain or something, when clearly _I_ am! Do something Brickie!" The other cheerleaders were staring at Princess in disgust, although Sammy had her attention focused on Brick.

"Don't call me that," he said, quite apathetic toward her problems.

"Princess, it wasn't Anna's fault," Bubbles sighed.

"And they all take her side!" Princess whined. "Brickie, do something about it!"

Brick rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath. He turned to face Bubbles and growled, "Don't piss off my Princess, especially because then she'll just cause problems for me." Princess nodded her agreement, as if she hadn't heard the second part of his sentence.

Here Blossom intervened, "Don't you pin this on Bubbles. All she's done is actually try to keep the peace. She's the only one who's acted like a real captain."

"Well, she isn't the captain, is she? So it's not in her place to act like one," Brick glared. "Why don't you all just keep out of my girlfriend's way? She's better at cheerleading anyway."

"You don't seriously believe that do you?" Blossom scoffed. "Bubbles is my sister, and my sisters excel at everything they do."

"Isn't that nice? So confident in your sisters. How about a little competition?"

"You're on. I bet Bubbles can cheer better than Princess anytime."

"If Princess wins, your sister quits the team."

"Uh, Blossom I don't think–" Bubbles spoke up.

"No, no Bubbles, I know what I'm doing," Blossom shushed her sister, then turned back to Brick, "And if Bubbles wins, Princess will let Bubbles become cheer captain."

"This Friday after school."

"Brickie, you can't just decide that without me!" Princess objected.

"I only decided for you, because I know you can beat her," Brick coaxed, and Princess's face brightened. Satisfied, the couple walked off.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Bubbles rounded on her sister, "Blossom!"

"What?" Blossom asked innocently. "Bubbles, you deserve to be cheer captain. And this is the only way you can get it. Princess won't give it up otherwise."

"Thanks, Blossom," Bubbles pulled Blossom into a thankful hug.

"You'll definitely beat her," the other girls piped up.

"Yeah! We'll be cheering for you!"

"There's no way she'll win."

"Thanks, girls. I won't let you down!" Bubbles beamed.

–––

After cheerleading practice had ended, the girls arrived home and Bubbles went off to prepare dinner. Blossom suddenly remembered Butch's message and turned to Buttercup, "Butch says to meet him in the gym tomorrow after school. And that you're going down."

"Uh, oh, thanks," Buttercup replied, taken slightly aback.

"Should you even be, you know, competing against Butch?"

Buttercup's eyes narrowed. "Is there any reason I shouldn't be?"

"Well, I just think that it's not the best idea. Because, you know, he's a Rowdyruff Boy, and…" her voice trailed off.

"I'll do what I want to do. Besides, it's all fun and games, anyway."

"Until someone gets hurt."

"You," Buttercup's voice was icy, "don't have the right to tell me this."

"I just wanted to warn you," Blossom shot back.

"You had eight years to warn me. You had eight years to stop me from hurting myself. You had eight. Fucking. _Years_," Buttercup growled. Blossom didn't know what to say, so Buttercup continued, "I haven't had the– I dunno, chance, time, guts, balls– to tell you this, but you should know, the year after you left, after school started, I did my homework, diligently, every day after school. You know why? So that when you came back, you would be proud of me. I wanted you to know, that I looked up to you. I wanted to show you that I'd learned from you, and that you'd taught me well." Buttercup paused to catch her breath, still glaring at Blossom.

"Buttercup, I'm so sor–" Blossom tried to say.

"Don't fucking interrupt me," Buttercup snapped. "I'm not done yet. You wanna know what else? I've never turned in homework a single day late. Ever. Homework was always the first thing I did when I got back home after school. For almost three years, I blindly believed you would come home any day now. I just kept waiting to show you how good I'd become. But you didn't come home.

"I kept doing my homework, but slowly, I'd stopped doing for you. I started doing for myself. Because I realized, that you weren't coming. And I'm not like Bubbles or the Professor, who kept waiting. Who you disappointed for seven years, and then suddenly popped up seven years after you were supposed to. You know when we shared a room, I could hear Bubbles sobbing to herself? And she would ask me when you'd come back. And I couldn't give her an answer. How could you do this? To her? To our dad? To me?" Her voice cracked a bit as tears welled up in Buttercup's eyes. After another pause she whispered, "You lost your privilege to tell me what to do a long time ago."

"I know, I know!" Blossom said desperately. "I should've come back. And I'm sorry, Buttercup. I really am. And you have a right to be mad. But please, Buttercup, please, just know, I really am sorry."

Buttercup stared hard at Blossom, and finally said, "You're right. I _do_ have a right to be mad." And with that she stomped to her room and slammed the door shut. This was what Buttercup had been hiding, since before Blossom had even arrived. All her pent-up emotion, all her fury, all her sadness, all her hate– it was all aimed at Blossom.

When Bubbles announced that dinner was ready, only the Professor showed up in the dining room.

–––

Blossom hadn't been in the mood to face anyone the next day. It was with an aching heart that she replied to Brick when he expressed his opinion that Princess was sure to win the cheer competition. "You sure are confident in your girlfriend."

"She's rude, snobby, boring, and a bitch above all, but I'm sure she can beat your sister."

Blossom replied calmly, "I _know_ Bubbles will win."

"That's a lot of confidence you got there." He paused, "Especially for someone who didn't even bother to visit her sister, or family for that matter, for almost ten years." Blossom's expression darkened, and she fell silent, while Brick grinned, realizing he had one-upped her.

After a while, she muttered, "It was eight years. And I emailed them."

"Not often, so I've heard," he remarked coldly. Blossom swallowed hard, as Brick added, "You know, I may be a total bastard. But I'd be there for my brothers if they needed me. But you? You couldn't even drag your ass here once, just o–"

Before even Blossom realized what had happened, her hand had found its way to Brick's cheek and delivered a powerful slap. "Shut up!" Blossom yelled. "You don't know anything! So don't you dare talk like you do!" The bell rang at that moment, and Blossom stormed out of the class, followed by the eyes of her classmates, none of whom dared to move.

Blossom darted through the halls, furious at Brick, at his words, but mostly, at herself. She ran to the back of the school, and slumped down in a more private place along a wall in the midst of a cluster of trees. It was only then that she let the tears that had been welling up for the past few minutes fall.

What did he know? He didn't understand! But did it even matter? He didn't need to understand. He was right. She'd left for eight years without visiting; she'd never been there for her sisters when they'd needed her. Even someone as despicable as Brick would've visited his siblings if they'd been apart, yet she hadn't. So what did that make her?

Why did these thoughts keep haunting her? She loved Bubbles. She loved Buttercup. She loved the Professor. And from the bottom of her heart, she was sorry. Sorry she couldn't be there. Sorry she'd never visited. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. How many times had those thoughts run through her head? How many times had she recited the different apologies she wanted to pour out to her sisters and dad? How many nightmares had she had, haunted by her guilt and regret?

Blossom would've given anything- anything to make this better. Why couldn't things go back to old times? Why couldn't they be little crime fighting kindergarteners without a single care in the world except how they'd deal with Mojo Jojo, or the Amoeba Boys, or the Gang Green Gang? That was so much easier. These emotions– sorrow, regret, guilt, shame– they were so much harder to cope with. She was afraid- afraid of being hated, being scorned. Buttercup hated her, and what if that was what Bubbles and the Professor really felt too? What if they too just hadn't been able to tell her directly?

Blossom buried her face in her hands, weeping softly to herself. After what seemed to be ages, she heard soft footsteps in the grass, and jerked up, wiping away her tears. She saw two very nice blue flats, and looked upwards to see Bubbles with a very worried expression on her face.

"Blossom," Bubbles whispered, leaning down and pulling her sister into a hug.

"Bubbles, if you hate me, please just tell me," Blossom begged, pulling away. "I'm so sorry. Please just tell me you hate me."

"Blossom," Bubbles said firmly, tilting Blossom's head so they made eye contact, "listen to me. If you love me, Blossom–" Blossom nodded frantically "–then believe me, without a single ounce of doubt, when I say, I forgive you. I love you, Blossom. I could never hate you." Bubbles pulled Blossom into a hug again, gently stroking Blossom's long red hair.

"Bubbles?" Blossom whispered, as she noticed little red stains on Bubbles's otherwise perfectly sky blue top. "Is that blood?"

"Let's just say that Brick bleeds a lot easier than I would've thought." Then with a gentle, sweet voice, Bubbles began to sing softly, "_Don't worry about a thing, 'cause every little thing gonna be all right…_" Blossom closed her eyes, and for what felt like the first time in a long time, she felt completely at peace.

* * *

><p><strong>*Three Little Birds- Bob Marley<strong>

**I like how the last two scenes came out.**

**And I made up the designer name .**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for not updating for so long :( I finished my other PPG fic, so now I can happily write this one without getting confused. **

**My love goes out to anyone still reading this after all this time.**

**Just an fyi, this is gonna be a Reds fic, just not yet, because family comes first. There might be Blues and Greens on the side, but they also might just be friends. I'm not really sure yet.**

* * *

><p>Two days later, on Thursday afternoon, when home<p>

work was very light, Blossom decided she'd go out to explore Townsville a bit. Bubbles was out practicing for the cheer competition, and Buttercup was still fervently ignoring her. Blossom left a quick note for the Professor, who was busy in his lab, and prepared to leave. She suddenly had the idea that a disguise might serve her purposes better, as she'd much rather not speak to anyone who might recognize her. She put on a big black hoodie (it had been Henry's), pulled her hair into a ponytail, and put a cap on. After switching into the most masculine jeans and shoes she had, she looked a bit like a feminine boy.

She flew off, taking care to use the cloud cover to remain unseen, and landed in the park amidst a copse of trees. For the most part, the park remained unchanged– there were still many families relaxing and playing around. She looked nearby and noticed that Townsville mall had been remodeled. It was now several stories taller, and had a sky bridge that connected the main section to a new side area. There were also several flashy advertisements decorating the side of the building. Slightly intrigued and very much pulled by her love of shopping, Blossom decided to take a walk in the mall.

It was unexpectedly busy for a Thursday afternoon, but Blossom was glad to see that, at least at first glance, there was no one from school. She entered a McDonald's and bought a burger. It was a bit messy, but it felt good not to have to worry about manners or who saw her like this. She walked along, window-shopping, peeking into several stores, and occasionally entering one when she saw something really cute. She was already near the top floor, gazing very intently at one particularly adorable skirt when someone bumped into her.

"Ah, sorry," the boy said. He had shiny blond hair and bright blue eyes, and had a very friendly demeanor. "Guess I should really look where I'm going."

"It's okay," Blossom replied, instinctively lowering her voice.

"Hey, do you happen to know where McDonald's is? I have to meet some people there, but I got a bit lost in this mall," he explained.

"Oh yeah," Blossom replied, readjusting her cap. "Go down to the first floor, and from the escalators you turn right, then left at the first crossroad, and keep walking a bit and it'll be on your left."

"First floor, escalators, turn right…right…left…and it'll be on my what?" he repeated, very confused.

"No, no," Blossom sighed, looking pitifully at him. He looked somewhat familiar.

"Do you think you can take me there?" he asked sheepishly.

"Sure, why not?" she answered. It wasn't like she had anything better to do. She guided him toward the escalators, and they slowly descended toward the first floor. "So, are you new around here?"

"Kinda, I've actually been here for half a year, but I'm just not that great with directions," he admitted. "It really pisses my brothers off. So have you lived here long?"

Blossom hesitated– it was a sensitive subject, but it felt okay to discuss it with this stranger. "Actually, I lived here when I was small, but then moved away, and now I'm back."

"Wow, where'd you move to?"

"I went to England," she replied, still keeping her voice low.

"Wow! England! That's so cool! I've always to go to England, but my brothers wouldn't let me," he sighed.

"Your brothers sound…very strict."

"Nah, they're okay. Although they can be kinda mean sometimes– actually a lot of times."

"Well here we are," Blossom said as they stood in front of McDonald's.

"Thanks, man!" the boy said. "Hey, my brothers aren't here yet, so lemme treat you to some food. As a thanks for bringing me here."

"Oh it's okay. Really–"

"C'mon, how about some ice cream?"

"No, it's–"

"Ice cream it is then!" He marched off and returned with two vanilla ice cream cones.

"Oh yeah! How rude of me, I'm Boomer, by the way," the boy said, as they found some seats.

"Oh!" Blossom gasped. So that's why he looked so familiar. "I-I'm Bl…aine." Blossom desperately thought of an excuse to leave, because if he was waiting for his brothers, that meant–

"Butch! Brick! Over here!" Boomer called out, energetically waving his arms. The two boys walked over and greeted their brother, then realized there was someone else present. "Oh this is Blaine. I got lost again, so he helped me."

"Sup," Butch said, giving a small nod.

Brick stared at her a bit, and suddenly gave an evil chuckle. "Blaine, huh? _He_ helped you?" In one swift movement, Brick knocked Blossom's cap and hoodie off, revealing her long ponytail.

"You're a girl!" Boomer exclaimed.

"And you're a dumbass, Boomer," Brick added.

"You look better in v-necks," Butch grinned, although Blossom chose to ignore him.

"So, _Blossom_–" Brick began.

"You're Blossom?" Boomer asked.

"Yeah, I am," she replied defensively.

"Wow, you're a lot nicer than I remember," he remarked. Blossom had prepared herself for an insult of sorts, and was taken aback by his half-a-compliment.

"As I was saying," Brick continued, "you ran pretty out pretty quickly from class the other. Did something I say upset you?"

"No," Blossom lied through gritted teeth. "I had to go somewhere afterward."

"Really? I heard you were wallowing in your own misery," Brick grinned.

"So the tough leader does break down?" Butch added.

"Shut up," Blossom growled, emphasizing her words.

"Well, whatever," Brick suddenly discarded the subject with a shrug of his shoulders, and Blossom clenched her teeth harder. Now he was treating her like she was unimportant. "I actually have a message from…her." Her anger replaced by curiosity, Blossom looked away, pretending like she wasn't listening and hoped he would continue. However Brick looked at her and demanded, "You, leave."

"Fine," Blossom grumbled, putting her cap back on and marching away.

"Bye, Blossom!" Boomer called after her. "And thanks!"

"Right, bye," she mumbled.

–––

"You went to the mall?" Bubbles asked later that night as she sat playing with Blossom's hair.

"Yeah, it's a lot nicer now," Blossom replied.

"I wanna go to the mall! There was this really cute dress I saw there the other day, but I didn't get the chance to buy it."

"I really wanted to buy this skirt too."

"Why didn't you?"

"I…actually, I bumped into the Rowdyruff boys there," Blossom admitted.

"What?" Bubbles exclaimed, accidentally messing up the French braid she was working on. "Aw man! Sorry, continue."

"Well, I bumped into Boomer, but he didn't recognize me. Then he asked for directions to McDonald's, so I led him there, and then the other two came along. And…Brick said something about a message from someone," Blossom said.

"What?"

"I don't know. He said he had a message from her, and he stressed the 'her' part."

"Hmmm, could be from…Princess?"

"But why didn't he just say her name?"

"Maybe he just didn't wanna mention her– I mean, he doesn't really like her much, considering they're dating and all."

"Maybe," Blossom repeated slowly, though still somewhat unconvinced. "Well putting that aside, are you ready for tomorrow?"

"Oh," Bubbles gave a nervous chuckle, "I think so. I mean, I've got a pretty decent routine in my head and Robin said it looked good and I'd beat Princess no problem, so…"

"You'll do great," Blossom smiled encouragingly. "You're a Powerpuff, and Powerpuffs excel."

–––

"Okay, I really can't believe I'm doing this," Bubbles whispered nervously as she stretched before the competition. "How did I let you talk me into this?"

"Relax, you can do this," Blossom reassured her. She knelt behind her sister and pulled her long blonde hair into a high ponytail. Blossom pulled out a long blue ribbon and tied a big bow in her sister's hair. "There, now you look great too."

"Thanks, Blossom," Bubbles beamed. She tugged lightly on her ponytail, smoothed out her skirt, and checked her make-up in her pocket mirror. In a sudden motion, she picked up her pom-poms, and yelled (mostly to herself), "I can _do _this!" Blossom followed Bubbles to the center of the field where Princess was waiting. A crowd had formed around the two, giving them enough room to perform a routine. The competition was to be judged by the students, and whichever girl received the most votes would win.

"Well, at least you had the guts to show up," Princess sneered.

"Say what you want, Princess, but just remember this attitude when I'm cheer captain," Bubbles retorted, while Blossom grinned to herself, proud of her sister's attitude. She spotted Brick across the field, with look of apathy on his face. She caught his eye, however, and his expression twisted into a smug, challenging grin. Blossom rolled her eyes and turned away, spotting Buttercup standing in the midst of the crowd. Her gaze was strictly concentrated on Bubbles, so much so that it seemed she was avoiding any other eye contact.

"Have they started yet?" someone asked. Blossom turned around to find Boomer still trying to wedge his way closer to the front.

"No, not yet."

"Thank God. I thought I'd missed it," he said, relieved. "Don't tell Brick, but I'm cheering for Bubbles," he admitted, grinning. "Although I don't think Brick would care. So actually, don't tell Princess."

"You don't like her either?" Blossom asked grimly.

"Naw," he said, an expression of disgust crossing his face. "She's such a whiner– I mean, seriously, her voice is enough to drive anyone insane. I dunno how Brick deals with her."

"Well he doesn't seem to like her much, does he?"

Boomer laughed, as though she had said the most outrageous thing. "'Doesn't like her much?' Try hates her whiny, bitchy guts."

"Then why is he going out with her in the first place?"

"Because…she has connections," he answered, with the look of one wondering if he had said too much. "Oh hey! They're starting!"

Sure enough, Princess had walked to the center of the circle, holding obnoxious shiny gold pom-poms. She began with the stereotypical "Gimme a B…L…U…E…J…A…Y! What does that spell? Blue jay!" mixed with several cartwheels, flips, and fancy motions. Blossom had to admit (though very begrudgingly) that Princess had some talent. She could do one-handed cartwheels and perfect mid-air splits and land without ever losing her balance. When she finished, the crowd was cheering loudly, with particularly loud screaming from Princess's posse. Even Blossom had to give her the tiniest of golf claps.

Princess gave a challenging look to Bubbles, who was making her way to the center. Blossom hadn't actually seen Bubbles cheer yet, but she'd heard good things about her sister. Hopefully Bubbles was good enough to one-up Princess.

Bubbles did not disappoint. She began with another cheer, "Hey, you, get out of our way! 'Cause Blue jays're gonna win today!" She continued her routine with aerial cartwheels, front flips, back flips, and mid-air jumps where her legs were almost perpendicular to the ground. She was sometimes in the air so long that it seemed she was flying (although everyone knew she _was_ flying, it was still quite impressive). She transitioned from one move to another with grace comparable to a ballet dancer. Blossom could not believe Princess was captain when such talent was in the team. When Bubbles finished, the crowd was roaring.

With a very smug grin, Blossom floated upward a bit to gather attention and shouted, "Okay everyone, let's put this to a vote. Cheer for the girl you believe should be our cheerleading captain. Who votes for Princess?" There were a few cheers, very loud ones from her posse, but most students remained quiet. Even Brick kept his mouth shut, although Blossom wasn't sure whether he wasn't voting for her or cheering just wasn't his thing. "Well then, who votes for Bubbles?" The remainder of the crowd broke out cheering and hollering, and a blushing Bubbles flew up to Blossom and gave her a big hug.

Blossom took Bubbles's hand and raised it into the air, shouting "Our new cheer captain!" There was more applause, although in the midst of it all, Blossom heard Princess swear and stomp away. She couldn't even argue because most of the school had been here to witness the event. "Congrats, Bubbles," Blossom said, hugging her sister again.

"!" Bubbles squealed before running off to hug the rest of her cheer team, who were all jumping up and down with excitement.

–––

Bubbles went out to celebrate with her team at the mall that afternoon. She cordially invited Blossom, who declined due to her earlier experience at the mall, and Buttercup, who declined because she didn't want to stay too long with squealing girls.

Blossom sat in the kitchen, drinking her afternoon tea, smiling at the day's events. It had been so fulfilling so see Princess so angry– after all, she'd been hogging a position she really didn't deserve. And Bubbles was so happy she couldn't stop squealing. But the most satisfying feeling was being able to help her sister, especially after Blossom had practically ignored her for so long. Blossom couldn't imagine how she'd been so awful as to be able to ignore someone has darling and cheery as Bubbles. This was just the first step to making up for lost time. Although…she had two sisters, and the other was still hadn't talked to her since their last argument.

Blossom's thoughts were interrupted by footsteps entering the kitchen. She looked up to find– well, speak of the devil!– Buttercup going through the fridge. The black-haired girl wordlessly took out some jelly and peanut butter, grabbed some bread, and started making herself a sandwich. Blossom stared uncomfortably at her tea.

"Hey," Buttercup said mumbled, "it was really nice…what you did for Bubbles. She really deserves it."

"Oh, thanks," Blossom said, surprised. There was an awkward silence as Buttercup continued making her sandwich. She finished and was about to leave, when Blossom said, "Hold on. Um…wait here a bit." Blossom sped to her room and grabbed a piece of paper from her bag. She arrived at the kitchen and found, thankfully, Buttercup still waiting for her.

The moment when the idea had entered Blossom's head, it had seemed like a good one. Now confronting Buttercup, who wore a mixture of confusion and suspicion, carrying it out seemed much harder.

"Um, so, this–" Blossom slid the paper in front of Buttercup– "is a sketch I did for art class," she explained.

Buttercup shifted a bit, as if she desperately wanted to leave, but forced herself to look at the paper. There was a young teenage girl with a big bow in her hair sitting cross-legged by a pond in a garden of a magnificent mansion. A well-dressed business-like woman and a friendly boy were both staring fondly at her, but the girl was reaching longingly for her reflection in the water– except the reflection wasn't exactly her. A little girl who could be mistaken for the older one's younger sister was staring up with equal longing from the water. This little girl was surrounded by her family– two sisters in matching outfits and their father standing behind them in front of a blocky house with three oval windows.

"It's- it's um, good," Buttercup said after a long silence, during which Blossom had nervously shifted her gaze from the paper to her sister.

"I–I'm glad you like it," Blossom replied, blushing. "It's um– what I think of, you know, us–" she made a circular gesture to include the whole family– " and me...and–"

"I'm home!" Bubbles's voice cut through the uncomfortable atmosphere.

Buttercup instantly rushed out to greet their sister, but Blossom snatched up the paper and angrily crumpled into a paper ball. She glanced at the paper, which would eventually need to turn into her teacher, sighed, and tried to unwrinkled it. What had she expected Buttercup to do? Jump with joy over the fact that Blossom had tried to express her feelings through art and give her a big hug? Blossom gave a forced laugh. That wasn't Buttercup; that was more like Bubbles. But Blossom had hoped that, at the least, Buttercup would… Blossom didn't even know what she had hoped. She just wanted to make things better.

"There you are!" Bubbles said, interrupting Blossom's thoughts. "Look what I got!" Bubbles held up a simple, but very cute, baby-blue dress. Blossom smiled and assured her sister she would look great in it. "Oh yeah! I got something for you too! You know those white shorts you have? The ones you wore with that flowery shirt the other day? Well, I thought they'd look great with these." She held up a pair of brown leather boots with a few decorative buckles at the bottom and two-inch heels, which caused Blossom to squeal and momentarily forget her troubles.

"They're so cute!"

"You like them!" Bubbles said happily.

"I love them! Thank you!" Blossom said, giving her sister a hug.

"Hey, what's that?" Bubbles asked, her gaze landing on the slightly-wrinkled paper on the kitchen counter.

"Oh! That. It's just something I drew for art," Blossom answered.

"Just something? It's amazing! The detail! Oh my gosh– I didn't know you were this good! I mean, I'm sure you were– you're in an AP class, but wow! The expressions are perfect! A-and it's us," she said, her expression softening. Bubbles launched herself at Blossom, and they remained hugging for a while, until Bubbles suddenly gave a sort of muffled squeal and exclaimed, "It's amazing! Really. I love you, Blossom."

Blossom chuckled and replied, "Love you too, Bubbles."

Bubbles's reaction was quite predictable– she was always the best at expressing happiness and appreciation. Blossom had been completely unrealistic to expect Buttercup to be excited, but a bit more happiness would've been nice.

That night, at dinner, Buttercup asked Blossom to pass the mashed potatoes. It was the first time since their argument that Buttercup had spoken to her in front of anyone. This small gesture, however, gave Blossom hope that maybe, just maybe, her sister_ had_ forgiven her a bit.

Blossom cracked a small grin, and when asked why she was grinning so oddly, just shook her head and smiled back.

* * *

><p><strong>I have to say, I really love Boomer. He's so…friendly and playful.<strong>


End file.
